The Invisible Service: She Held The Line

This week on Invisible Service , Mel and Keresten reflect on their recent Mental Health First Aid training and the powerful lessons it taught them—not about fixing people, but about supporting them. We talk about the importance of listening without judgment, breaking down the stigma surrounding mental health, and learning that sometimes the most valuable thing we can do is simply be present for so...

Episode 7 is all about connection, transition, and the conversations that remind us we’re not alone. After a huge week of showing up, networking, listening, learning, and stepping deeper into the Veteran community space, we’re unpacking what it actually feels like to become part of something bigger than ourselves. Keresten shares her experience attending a Veteran transition seminar and visiting D...

Episode 6 is a real and honest conversation about resilience, pressure, and finding your footing again. We chat about the recent DVA Women’s Veterans Forum in Queensland, the growing stress many veteran families are feeling with the new budget changes. We also open up about the emotional rollercoaster of heading back to work after years of caring, navigating imposter syndrome, family pressures, an...

This week’s episode is a real and honest conversation about what happens when multiple stressors collide at once — grief, overwhelm, old trauma responses, triggers, parenting pressures, returning to work, and the emotional weight many Veteran families quietly carry. We also explore something important: healing doesn’t mean you never struggle again. It means you recognise what’s happening sooner, u...

In this episode of The Invisible Service: She Held The Line, we explore the identity shift that happens when life changes after years of being a Defence partner and you step into the Carer role. It’s about the roles we stepped into without noticing and the moments we realised everything had changed. The grief that comes with losing a version of yourself and how to gently begin again… without press...

In this episode we share some of the feedback you’ve been sending through—because this podcast is growing with you—and talk about what’s ahead, including bringing more voices into the conversation. We also dive into the reality of navigating support services, from Open Arms to DVA and Centrelink, and the importance of finding what actually works for you. Keresten shares her upcoming attendance at...

Episode 2 is all about going a little deeper. In this episode, we move beyond the basics and share more of who we are and how we each came to be connected to the Defence community.

The Invisible Service: She Held the Line was created because these stories matter. Because YOU matter. Welcome to The Invisible Service: She Held the Line. A podcast dedicated to the stories that often go unheard. Behind every uniform is a network of partners, families, carers, and children who carry the weight of service in their own way. This podcast shares real, raw, and honest conversations ab...